TELECOMMUNICATION AND MULTIMEDIA MANAGEMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20090103475A1
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voxer IP LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rebelvox LLC (Voxer, Inc.)
• Inventors: Katis, Thomas E., Panttaja, Mary G., Ranney, Matthew J., Panttaja, James T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,121,271 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/126 Foldable, retractable or tiltable tribunes E04H3/123 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1831 Tracking arrangements for later retrieval, e.g. recording contents, participants activities or behavior, network status
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/216 Handling conversation history, e.g. grouping of messages in sessions or threads
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/226 Delivery according to priorities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53 Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a node for transmitting data over a network. The node includes a first ascertaining element configured to ascertain the need to transmit one or more data streams from the node to a second node over the network, the one or more data streams including time-based media that is generated either locally or remotely on the network. The node also includes a second ascertaining element configured to ascertain a timeliness preference for reviewing the one or more data streams by one or more recipients respectively. The ascertained timeliness preference for each one of the data streams is either (a) time-sensitive where at least one recipient of the one data stream has indicated an intent to review the one data stream in a near real-time mode as received by the recipient over the network while the time-based media of the one data stream is being generated or (b) less-than time-sensitive. The node further includes a transmitter that transmits the one or more data streams using either a first transmission technique or a second transmission technique, depending on the ascertained timeliness preference of each data stream. The first transmission technique is used for the less-than time-sensitive preference data streams, whereas the second transmission technique is used for data streams with the time-sensitive preference. The first technique uses a larger first packetization interval, which is defined as the amount of time based media contained in each packet, compared to the second packetization interval used by the second technique.

Claims

1. A node configured to transmit data over a network, the node comprising:

a first ascertaining element configured to ascertain the need to transmit one or more data streams from the node to a second node over the network, the one or more data streams including time-based media that is generated either locally at the node or remotely on the network;

a second ascertaining element configured ascertain a timeliness preference for reviewing the one or more data streams by one or more recipients respectively, the ascertained timeliness preference for each one of the data streams being either;

(a) time-sensitive where at least one recipient of the one data stream has indicated an intent to review the one data stream in a near real-time mode as received by the recipient over the network while the time-based media of the one data stream is being generated;

or

(b) less-than time-sensitive; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the one or more data streams, the transmitter further configured to;

(c) transmit the one or more data streams with the ascertained less-than time-sensitive preference using a first transmission technique, the first transmission technique relying on packets having a first packetization interval; and

(d) transmit the one or more data streams with the ascertained time-sensitive preference using a second transmission technique, where the first packetization interval is larger than the second packetization interval, the second technique relying on packets having a second packetization interval,

wherein the packetization interval is defined as the amount of time based media contained in each packet.

2. The node of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique used by the transmitter further comprises:

a third ascertaining element configured to ascertain a near real-time packetization interval sufficient to substantially allow the one or more recipients to review the time-based media of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference in a near real-time mode; and

a packetization setting element configured to set the second packetization interval within the near real-time packetization interval.

3. The node of claim 1, wherein the time-indexed media is voice media and the second packetization interval is approximately 20 milliseconds of voice media approximately every 20 milliseconds.

4. The node of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique used by the transmitter further comprises:

ascertaining a media type of the time-based media for each of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference;

ascertaining the second packetization interval for the media type for each of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference; and

transmitting the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the ascertained second packetization interval for the ascertained media type respectively,

wherein the ascertained second packetization interval is sufficient to substantially allow the one or more recipients to review the time-based media of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference in the near real-time mode.

5. The node of claim 4, wherein the media type comprises one or more of the following:

voice, video, text, position or GPS data, sensor data, or a combination thereof.

6. The node of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique used by the transmitter further comprises:

ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the node and the second node;

determining if the available bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the second packetization interval; and

transmitting the one or more data streams if the available bandwidth is sufficient.

7. The node of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique used by the transmitter further comprises:

ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the node and the second node;

determining if the available bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the second packetization interval; and

reducing payload quality of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference during transmission if the available bandwidth is insufficient.

8. The node of claim 7, wherein the transmitter reduces payload quality by using one or more Codecs.

9. The node of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique used by the transmitter further comprises:

ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the node and the second node;

determining if the available bandwidth is insufficient to transmit the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the set second packetization interval; and

progressively increasing the second packetization interval until the available bandwidth is sufficient.

10. The node of claim 9, wherein the second transmission technique used by the transmitter further comprises progressively increasing the second packetization interval by the transmitter results in a decrease in the header to packet ratio of the packets of the one or more data streams with the timeliness preference.

11. The node of claim 1, wherein the second transmission technique used by the transmitter further comprises:

ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the node and the second node;

determining if the available bandwidth is sufficient to transmit the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference at the second packetization interval;

transmitting the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference within the available bandwidth if the available bandwidth is insufficient to enable the recipients to render the media in near real time; and

buffering at the node the data of the one or more data streams with the time-sensitive preference as necessary during transmission.

12. The node of claim 1, wherein the second ascertaining element is configured to ascertain the timeliness preference for each of the one or more data streams by:

(i) selecting one of the one or more data streams;

(ii) ascertaining if at least one of the recipients of the selected data stream has indicated the intent to review the data of the selected data stream upon receipt over the network as the data of the selected data stream is being generated;

(iii) defining the selected data stream as having the time-sensitive preference if at least one of the recipients of the selected data stream has indicated the intent to review the data of the selected data stream upon receipt over the network as the data of the selected data stream is being generated; and

(iv) repeating (i) through (iii) for each of the one or more data streams respectively.

13. The node of claim 1, wherein the second ascertaining element is configured to ascertain the timeliness preference for each of the one or more data streams by:

(i) selecting one of the one or more data streams;

(ii) ascertaining if all of the one or more recipients of the selected data stream indicate an intent to review the time-based media of the selected data stream some time after receipt by the recipient in a time shifted mode;

(iii) defining the selected data stream as having the less-than time-sensitive preference if all of the one or more recipients of the selected data stream indicate an intent to review the time-based media of the selected data stream some time after receipt by the recipient in a time shifted mode; and

(iv) repeating (i) through (iii) for each of the one or more data streams respectively.

14. The node of claim 1, wherein the second ascertaining element is further configured to ascertain the timeliness preference for each of the one or more data streams by:

(i) selecting one of the one or more data streams;

(ii) ascertaining if the selected data stream is being sent to the one or more recipients from a storage or memory location on the network, wherein the selected data stream was stored at the storage or memory location some time after the time-based media of the selected data stream was generated;

(iii) defining the selected data stream as having the less-than time-sensitive preference if the selected data stream is being sent to the one or more recipients from the storage or memory location on the network; and

(iv) repeating (i) through (iii) for each of the one or more data streams respectively.

15. The node of claim 1, wherein the first transmission technique used by the transmitter further comprises:

ascertaining a maximum packetization interval for the network;

constructing packets at the first packetization interval of data from the one or more data streams with the less-than time-sensitive preference within the maximum packetization interval for the network; and

transmitting the constructed packets.

16. The node of claim 1, further comprising a third ascertaining element configured to ascertain available bandwidth on a network interface between the node and the second node, the available bandwidth ascertained by:

monitoring the network interface between the node and the second node;

receiving reports at the node regarding the status of the network interface between the node and the second node, the reports including information pertaining to network conditions between the node and the second node; and

ascertaining the available bit rate on the network interface between the node and the second node from the received reports.

17. The node of claim 16, wherein the information pertaining to the network interface comprises one or more of the following:

data throughput over the network interface between the node and the second node;

data loss over the network interface between the node and the second node;

or

jitter over the network interface between the node and the second node.

18. The node of claim 16, wherein the third ascertaining element continuously ascertains an instantaneous available bandwidth on the network between the node and the second node by:

continually monitoring a network interface between the node and the second node;

continually receiving reports at the node regarding the status of the network interface between the node and the second node, the reports including information pertaining to network conditions between the node and the second node; and

continually ascertaining the instantaneous available bit rate on the network interface between the node and the second node from the information pertaining to the network conditions contained in the continually received reports.

19. The node of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits the one or more data streams by:

(i) defining a transmission loop;

(ii) defining data in the one or more data streams to be transmitted in the defined transmission loop;

(iii) ascertaining available bandwidth on a network interface between the node and the second node on the network;

(iv) ascertaining an aggregate bandwidth for the defined data to be transmitted in the defined transmission loop; and

(iiv) removing the data from the one or more data streams with the less-than time-sensitive preference from the defined data to be transmitted in the defined loop if the aggregate bandwidth is greater than the ascertained available bandwidth.

20. The node of claim 19, wherein the transmitter further transmits the one or more data streams by continually repeating (iii) through (vii) during transmission of the one or more data streams.

21. The node of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more recipients indicate a registered intent to review the one or more data streams as received respectively.

22. The node of claim 1, wherein the intent of each of the one or more recipients is inferred by the behavior of the one or more recipients respectively.

23. The node of claim 1, wherein the node comprises a communication device, the communication device consisting of one of the following:

a land-line phone, a wireless or cellular phone, a satellite phone, a computer or a radio, a server, a satellite radio, or a tactical radio or phone.

24. The node of claim 1, wherein the second node comprises a communication device, the communication device consisting of one of the following:

a land-line phone, a wireless or cellular phone, a satellite phone, a computer or a radio, a server, a satellite radio, or a tactical radio or phone.

25. The node of claim 1, further comprising a media-generating element configured to locally create the time-based media at the node.

26. The node of claim 1, wherein the node is a hop on the network between a remote device where the time-based media is generated and the second node.

27. The node of claim 1, wherein the node is a hop on the network between the second node and a memory or storage location on the network which stores the time-based media.

28. The node of claim 1, wherein the second node is one of the one or more recipients.

29. The node of claim 1, wherein the second node is a hop on the network between the node and at least one of the one or more recipients.